Events

Diabetic Foot: The Global State of Play

Every 1.2 seconds, someone in the world with diabetes develops a limb-threatening foot wound. Every 20 seconds, someone with a wound undergoes an amputation. Three- and five-year mortality amongst people with amputation exceeds all but the most aggressive cancers. With these data as a backdrop, we will review the current state of play regarding treatment of the diabetic foot and wounds in the developed and developing world. We will explore policy factors associated with the team approach to amputation prevention as well as tips for the structure of successful teams, both at SALSA and worldwide. The concept of the “Toe and Flow” philosophy of prevention will be explored. Subsequently, emphasis will be placed on specific successes and failures and perhaps a way forward toward extending ulcer-free-days in remission. We also explore the use of novel new technology merging consumer electronics with medical devices in an effort to prevent problems before they start. Further information regarding this lecture including video, manuscripts and blog available at: www.diabeticfootonline.com

Epidemiological and Entomological Efficacy of Wolbachia Technologies

Wolbachia is a promising new strategy for vector control, where matings between male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with wAlbB strain of Wolbachia and wildtype females yield non-viable eggs. Singapore has conducted large scale field trials involving release of wAlbB-infected Ae. aegypti male mosquitoes for dengue control via vector population suppression since 2018, covering more than 600,000 residents.

Leadership and Communication during turbulent times

Climate Change and Health: Panel Discussion on Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation within the Health Sector

Climate change is currently the greatest threat to human health and requires innovative solutions to support health and environmental goals. This panel will examine the impacts of climate change on health, adaptation measures by health systems and how the health sector can contribute to mitigating climate change by reducing emissions. Panellists will discuss firsthand experience responding to climate-driven cholera epidemics in Bangladesh, planning and supporting policies for malaria elimination in the face of climate change and developing a world-class net zero emission health service in the United Kingdom. The programme will include a moderated discussion amongst panellists, followed by a Q&A with audiences.

Deconvolution of bulk RNA-seq reveals cell-type specificity mechanism in Alzheimer’s disease

Bulk tissue transcriptomic profiles cannot reflect the functional heterogeneity across cell types. We here propose a new empirical Bayes method (EPIC-unmix), that integrates sc/snRNA-seq reference and bulk RNA-seq data from target samples to enhance cell-type-specific (CTS) expression inference in target samples. We applied EPIC-unmix to deconvolute ROSMAP bulk RNA-seq data from prefrontal cortex samples. Downstream analysis of CTS gene expression, including identification of CTS differentially expressed (DE) genes, CTS eQTL analysis and functional annotations in the corresponding cell type for DE genes, suggested IKZF1 as a risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease functioning in microglia.

Comparative effectiveness clinical trials in infectious diseases research – pitfalls and novel approaches

Comparative effectiveness trials compare different established standards of care, for example different antibiotic choices or durations. The non-inferiority trial design is commonly used in infectious diseases research, but there are several methodologic issues and potential pitfalls that need to be carefully thought about when conducting a non-inferiority trial. Novel approaches such as ordinal outcomes and the DOOR/RADAR design may be useful alternatives, but come with their own issues.